Pachisuro-style gaming machines are well known. Certain known Pachisuro-style gaming machines include a housing that supports three mechanical reels and three input buttons. Each input button is associated with a different one of the mechanical reels. Each mechanical reel includes a plurality of stop positions, each of which includes one of a plurality of different symbols. The housing also supports a protective, see-through glass panel in front of the mechanical reels. A player can see the mechanical reels through the glass when the mechanical reels are spinning, and can see can see one or more of the symbols on each of the mechanical reels through the glass after the mechanical reels stop spinning.
More specifically, in one such known Pachisuro-style gaming machine, after a player places a wager, the gaming machine enables the player to activate an input device that causes the gaming machine to spin each of the mechanical reels. For each of the mechanical reels, the gaming machine enables the player to see that mechanical reel spinning through the glass and to stop that mechanical reel by activating the input button associated with that mechanical reel. When the input button associated with one of the mechanical reels is activated, the gaming machine determines an initiating stop position for that mechanical reel. The gaming machine does not, however, instantaneously stop that mechanical reel at the initiating stop position. Rather, the gaming machine moves that mechanical reel a designated number of stop positions (such as two, three, or four stop positions) past the initiating stop position to an actual stop position. If one or more of a plurality of winning symbol combinations are displayed along one or more paylines after all of the mechanical reels stop spinning, the gaming machine provides the player one or more awards.
When playing such a known Pachisuro-style gaming machine, if a player can readily see the symbols on the mechanical reels through the glass as the mechanical reels are spinning, it is easier for the player to activate the input buttons to cause all three mechanical reels to stop spinning such that one or more desired winning symbol combinations are displayed. Depending on the speed at which the gaming machine spins the mechanical reels, highly skilled players are able to identify opportune times to activate the input buttons to improve those players' chances of stopping the mechanical reels such that the mechanical reels display the desired winning symbol combination(s) and such that the gaming machine provides a corresponding award(s).
Various methods of compensating for such variation in player skill have been developed. A first way to compensate for variation in player skill is to provide reflexive Pachisuro-style gaming machines. Reflexive gaming machines typically increase or decrease a payout associated with a play of a game based on the payout history of that gaming machine. In a simple example of a reflexive Pachisuro-style gaming machine, the desired payback percentage is 90% and the gaming machine tracks its payback percentage for a defined period, such as for 100 games or in between bonus events. The gaming machine stores at least two different paytables having different payback percentages. One is below the target payback percentage (90% in this example) and the other is above it. For instance, Paytable A has a payback percentage of 70% and Paytable B has a payback percentage of 125%. If the actual payback percentage after the first ten tracked games is 150%, the gaming machine will employ Paytable A until the actual payback percentage is less than the target payback percentage of 90%. Once the actual payback percentage falls below the target payback percentage 90%, the gaming machine will ‘reflex’ and switch to Paytable B to cause the actual payback percentage to increase toward the target payback percentage of 90%. In such case, for a determined number of spins, the gaming machine causes the mechanical reels to stop spinning such that it is more or less likely (depending on which paytable is active) that winning symbol combinations are displayed when the mechanical reels stop spinning, regardless of when the player presses the input buttons associated with each of the mechanical reels. Thus, in this type of reflexive gaming machine, the gaming machine determines whether or not to provide an award for one or more plays of the game based in part on the awards provided for previous plays of the game.
A second way to compensate for variation in player skill is to lower the advantage obtained by highly skilled players by employing virtual mapping to determine the actual stop positions of the mechanical reels. One known Pachisuro-style gaming machine stores, for each mechanical reel, for each stop position of that mechanical reel, a virtual map including a plurality of the stop positions of that mechanical reel. For each virtual map, the gaming machine stores a weight associated with each stop position of that virtual map. When the gaming machine receives an activation of one of the input buttons, the gaming machine determines an initiating stop position for the associated mechanical reel. The gaming system then randomly determines an actual stop position of that mechanical reel based on the weights of the stop positions in the virtual map associated with the initiating stop position. Thus, in this type of Pachisuro-style gaming machine, a highly skilled player's advantage is tempered by the use of the virtual maps and, in particular, the use of random determinations to (in part) determine the actual stop positions of the mechanical reels.
A third way to compensate for variation in player skill is to provide a hint to a player that identifies when the player should activate the input button associated with a particular mechanical reel to maximize the player's expected return. More specifically, in one known Pachisuro-style gaming machine, after at least one but fewer than all of the mechanical reels have stopped spinning, the gaming machine indicates or signals to the player when it is most beneficial for the player to activate the input buttons associated with the remaining mechanical reel(s). That is, the gaming machine indicates or signals to the player when the player should activate the input button(s) associated with the remaining spinning mechanical reel(s) such that the player's expected return (in light of the symbols displayed by the mechanical reel(s) that has already stopped spinning) is maximized. For example, the gaming machine spins three mechanical reels, receives an activation of the input button associated with a first one of the mechanical reels, and stops the first mechanical reel. For each of the second and third mechanical reels, the gaming system flashes a light behind or otherwise associated with that mechanical reel that indicates when the player should activate the input button associated with that mechanical reel such that the player's expected return (in light of the symbols displayed by stopped the first mechanical reel) is maximized. Thus, in this type of Pachisuro-style gaming machine, a lower skilled player is provided an advantage that, at least in part, levels the playing field with respect to more highly skilled players.
However, this third way to compensate for the variation in player skill causes numerous problems in operation. First, this Pachisuro-style gaming machine does not inform or identify to the player which winning symbol combination the gaming machine is attempting to cause the player to cause the gaming machine to display by providing the hints. For instance, if each symbol displayed by a first stopped mechanical reel is associated with a plurality of different winning symbol combinations, and the gaming machine does not inform or identify to the player which of these winning symbol combinations the gaming machine is attempting cause the player to cause the gaming machine to display to maximize the player's expected return. The player does not know whether the gaming machine is attempting to cause the player to cause the gaming machine to display the winning symbol combination having a highest award, the winning symbol combination having a highest probability of being displayed, or the winning symbol combination associated with a maximum expected return.
Second, this Pachisuro-style gaming machine does not provide any hints to the player indicating when the player should activate the input button to stop a first one of the mechanical reels from spinning. This gaming machine instead provides such hints after the player has stopped the first mechanical reel and has possibly eliminated the chance for the player to achieve one or more desired winning symbol combinations. Third, such hints may distract players whose strategy for stopping the mechanical reels differs from the “maximum expected return” strategy implemented by the gaming machine. For instance, a player may desire to stop the mechanical reels such that a winning symbol combination associated with a high probability of occurrence and a low award is displayed. In this example, the winning symbol combination desired by the player is not the winning symbol combination that will maximize the player's expected return. Thus, in this example, the hints provided by the gaming machine will distract the player and make it more difficult for the player to stop the mechanical reels such that the player's desired winning symbol combination is displayed.
Accordingly, a continuing need exists for a Pachisuro-style gaming machine that enables players of all skill levels to enjoy Pachisuro-style gaming.